The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran after what the Israeli military said was months of “close and joint planning.” Israel said its strikes targeted Iran’s supreme leader, president and head of the armed forces. The US is planning for several days of attacks. President Donald Trump described the US military campaign as “massive and ongoing,” warned American lives may be lost, and called on Iranians to “take over your government.” Iran launched an unprecedented wave of strikes toward Israel and US targets across the Middle East. Explosions were reported in the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar and in Dubai, where all flights to and from airports have been suspended. The attacks sparked global responses. The leaders of some US allies expressed concern, while some Arab nations condemned Iran’s retaliation.
TMI Show Ep 78: Putin and Trump’s Perfect Phone Call
Live at 10 am Eastern/9 am Central time, and Streaming 24-7 Thereafter:
The deep freeze in U.S.-Russian relations is about to thaw out bigly.
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump talked for about an hour and a half yesterday, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The call was “lengthy and highly productive,” Trump said on Truth Social. “We discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, Energy, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar, and various other subjects.” They agreed that they “want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine,” Trump added, announcing an “immediate” start of negotiations to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
The two men discussed the Middle East and Iran’s nuclear program and agreed to visit one another in person.
What’s next for Russia, the U.S. and Ukraine? Political and international relations expert Mark Sleboda joins Ted Rall and Manila Chan on “The TMI Show” to figure that out.
TMI Show Ep 72: Trump Endorses Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza + Did Trump Choke on Tariffs?
Live at 10 am Eastern/9 am Central time, and Streaming 24-7 Thereafter:
A shocking (but not surprising) turn of events prompts a special edition of the show today.
First: As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu smiled next to him like the cat who ate the canary, President Trump brazenly endorsed the forcible expulsion of at least 1.7 million Palestinians from Gaza so that the bombed and bulldozed site of Israeli genocide can be occupied either by U.S. real estate interests or by Israel. Manila Chan and Ted Rall break down the implications for the Middle East.
Second: Trump said that Canada and Mexico couldn’t do anything to stop his 25% tariffs on goods. “We’re not looking for a concession,” he said. Three days later, Trump paused the tariffs on both countries for 30 days, citing concessions they had made.
Trump’s tariffs threatened to increase inflation and spooked the stock market. Did Trump’s pullback have more to do with that looming economic pain than with the concessions? What happens in a month?
On today’s “The TMI Show,” Manila Chan and Ted Rall discuss the future of tariffs under Trump with wealth management and finance expert Aquiles Larrea.
TMI Show Ep 65: Trump’s FAFO Foreign Policy
Live at 10 am Eastern time/8 am Mountain and Streaming all the time after that:
Trump’s foreign policy is only a week old and all over the place. Over the weekend America’s new president waged and won a short-lived trade war with Colombia, a staunch US ally in Latin America, over deportation flights. We saw mixed messages in Gaza, where Trump urged Arab neighbors to take in displaced Gazans which would appear to set the stage for Israeli ethnic cleansing while simultaneously ordering Israel to extend its ceasefire with Hamas by at least 30 extra days. He threatened Russia even as he said he wants to denuclearize and negotiate with Putin over Ukraine. And who knows what he’s on about when it comes to China, which reversed its previous refusal to accept its own undocumented migrants after the scrap with Colombia?
On “The TMI Show,” co-hosts Ted Rall and Manila Chan try to make sense of Trump’s foreign policy. Is it an incoherent mess? Or is there a method to his madness?
TMI Show Ep 31: Can Putin Save Syria? An Exclusive from Inside Aleppo
Scarcely noticed by most of the world, the Civil War in Syria has been grinding on for more than a decade. A proxy war, with the central government of Bashar al-Assad, supported by its traditional ally Russia (along with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon) against an assortment of radical jihadi militias, including remnants of Al Qaeda supported by the United States under cover of going after the terrorist group ISIS, the balance of power had remained relatively stable at the front lines despite the threat of total fragmentation as Syria’s Kurds seized their own autonomous zone—until a couple of weeks ago.
Now an Al Qaeda affiliate called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its allies have launched an offensive that shocked the world by capturing the second largest city in Syria, Aleppo.
The TMI Show brings you an EXCLUSIVE look from directly inside HTS-occupied Syria with Steven Sahiounie, a Syrian national and journalist in Aleppo.
What is it like to live under HTS control? How likely are they to topple the government of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus? What would be the regional and global implications of a radical jihadi state on the border with Israel? The United States has been trying to persuade al-Assad to abandon his allies Russia and Iran, but has so far failed. Is that likely to change? Can Russia, trying to close the deal in Ukraine, divert resources to save the Syrian government?
DMZ America Podcast #164: Pager Rager, Dogging Cats, Half the Point
Political cartoonists and analysts Ted Rall (on the Left) and Scott Stantis (on the Right) take on the week in politics.
First up, Israel’s Mossad launches a fearsome attack against Hezbollah by blowing up their pagers and walkie-talkies throughout Lebanon, injuring thousands of people and killing at least a dozen. Does this impressive act of international terrorism cross a red line for supporters of Israel against Gaza? What happens next in the Middle East?
Springfield, Ohio has made headlines, most of them probably false, about the allegation that Haitian migrants have been chowing down on the locals’ cats and dogs. Ted relates what he heard from relatives who live in Springfield and Scott and Ted dissect Trump’s ability to touch upon big truths even while lying like the day is long.
Finally, the Federal Reserve Bank has decided to cut short-term interest rates by 0.5%. How much will juicing the economy help Kamala Harris’ campaign?
Watch the Video version: here. (Will be live 9/18/24 8:00 Eastern time)
DMZ America Podcast Ep 158: Trump’s Racist on Kamala Harris & Israel Attacks Iran
Political cartoonists and analysts Ted Rall (on the Left) and Scott Stantis (on the Right) take on the week in politics.
Kamala Harris has secured the nomination of the Democratic Party officially, via virtual roll call, less than two weeks after Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Scott and Ted discuss how she quickly consolidated control of the party in one of the most startling reversals of political fortune ever, taking her from pariah to Internet darling with a $1 billion war chest in a matter of a month. Donald Trump is attacking her race and gender; will these punches land?
Meanwhile, the Middle East conflict is heating up with the prospect of a wider regional conflict so pronounced that Ted thinks the unthinkable, considering scenarios for nuclear confrontation. At the same time, Scott declares the Russo-Ukrainian War all over but the shouting, with the outcome increasingly obvious.
Watch the Video Version: here.
(Will be live 8/2/24 6:15 pm EDT)
DMZ America Podcast #143 (together in person!): #MeToo Drives Cartoonist Ed Piskor to Suicide, Abortion Drives Republicans Insane, Might Gaza Drive Israel Out of Statehood?
Cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right) present a Very Special Podcast. For the first time, Ted and Scott do the pod from Hotel Clovis, a.k.a. Ted’s place in New York. As always, Ted and Scott put friendship first in their spirited but civilized debates and discussions about the issues at hand.
First up: The world of comics and cartooning was upended by the tragic suicide of Eisner-winning cartoonist Ed Piskor, who shot himself to death after being hounded by an online mob and stripped of his professional associations after a younger female cartoonist accused him of “grooming” her four years ago, when he was 17. What lessons can we learn from this episode? Has the #MeToo movement finally gone too far? What of the online posters who gleefully celebrated Piskor’s death? Can comics address systemic sexism without descending into Lord of the Flies-style vengeance?
Second: The Alabama Supreme Court has affirmed an 1864 state statute that bans abortion in all cases excepting danger to the life of the mother (which Texas still refuses to do). In Arizona, if you are raped or subjected to incest, the state refuses to grant you an abortion. Ted and Scott discuss the political implications for a Republican Party that now finds itself out of step with 85% of American voters on an issue with massive symbolic resonance.
Finally: Scott, a long-time supporter of Israel, has reluctantly concluded that Israel’s war against Hamas has claimed too many innocent Palestinian lives and destroyed too much infrastructure in Gaza. Ted suggests that the window for a two-state solution may have passed and that it’s time to consider merging the Occupied Territories and Israel into a democratic Republic of Palestine where all votes and voices are treated equally.
Watch the Video Version: here.
The Final Countdown – 1/30/24 – United Airlines Navigates Boeing Woes: Explores Possible Airbus Deal
The Final Countdown – 1/29/23 – Nancy Pelosi Urges FBI Probe into Russia’s Role in Gaza Protests
On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss the current events around the globe, including Nancy Pelosi accusing the Pro-Palestine movement of “Russian interference.”
